Nikki Finke used to be the notorious queen of Hollywood industry gossip as the boss of Deadline.com, but was ousted from (most) of her power over the site in a 2013 power-struggle. Now she's returned with a highly-touted gossip site all her own, NikkiFinke.com, and in an sign of the times the first major story she's claiming isn't a celebrity divorce or high-profiling firing - it's Warner Bros. alleged three-year plan for launching a full-fledged DC Movie Universe.

Citing unnamed sources and using qualifiers like "remains in flux," (this is, after all, Nikki Finke), the report claims that Warner Bros. did not, as has been reported, delay the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for script reasons, but instead to lock down contracts for actors wanted for several subsequent DC movies in order to start setting up continuity-establishing appearances in each other's movies. Finke further claims to know the current plans for the first three years of this universe, which looks like this:

If legitimate, this would mark the first official confirmation of Wonder Woman getting her own movie following her already known debut in Dawn of Justice, and the first mention period of Man of Steel having an actual sequel separate from the Batman team-up. The Flash/Lantern team-up is also new, and while Finke does not mention whether Flash will be the version from the upcoming TV series (and Arrow) she does insinuate that he will cameo in Dawn along with the already announced Cyborg. Surprising absolutely no one, Ryan Reynolds will not return to the role of Green Lantern.

The report's language would also appear to reveal the likely planned lineup of heroes for the first Justice League movie: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman. If so, that's notably the same as the controversial New 52 lineup.

Given the sourcing, it's possible that at least some or even all of this could be accurate - or none of it could. Warner Bros. is widely expected to have a huge DCU announcement planned for San Diego Comic-Con next month.

I'm calling fake, this release schedule would require spending far too much money before knowing if people would even be interested in this shared universe. (my money's on the Batman v Superman film making less money than MoS which had enough bad word of mouth to stop any direct franchise growth)

Marvel at least kept it to a more sane schedule for phase 1 before ramping up to 2 films every year in phase 2 onwards.

The order of those movies seems odd. You'd think they want to properly introduce the main members of the Justice League before throwing them together for the team-up movie, and I mean in a more substantial way than a cameo in the movies leading up to that team-up. It worked pretty well for the Avengers.

Maybe Warner Brothers is specifically not doing that to differentiate their shared universe from Marvel. In the case of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, their respective backgrounds and general traits are well known enough that you could feasibly throw them in without any previous introduction. But, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Cyborg? Not so much.

I can't see this being true, I mean a Wonder Woman movie a couple of months after JLA? And what, exactly is the end game here? At least with Marvel's Phases you can intone some kind of build-up and organisation, with the Avengers topping off each phase as some kind of climax.

This... this just looks like they've thrown everything at the wall to see what sticks. Doubly so if it's true that Shazam won't actually be part of the DCCU.

Not sure how much stock I put into this due to the release schedule alone. That's a number of films in a short amount of time with literally nothing happening on the production front at the moment. While things could be going on behind the scenes with script work and so forth we'd hear rumblings that several of these films are gearing up for production soon.

However I do believe that DC is going to stray away from mostly solo outings for their lineup and instead use a team up method to better cement the idea that all of these characters exist in the same world. Marvel has often received a fair amount of flak for having major events happen in the solo films yet none of the other Avengers show up such as in Ironman 3 with the president being taken hostage and only Ironman and Warmachine show up to do something about it.

Bringing two or more characters together in a focused film gives these characters more chances to develop as well as play off each other. I believe that Batman v Superman is laying the groundwork for not only the Justice League film but for the crossover style majority of these films will take moving forward. Seeing someone like Green Lantern and Hawkgirl team up to take on an off world threat makes sense, having Batman and Superman work together to get to the bottom of a mystery makes sense, you get the idea.

Personally I think solo films will more than likely revolve around origin stories and deal with more personal struggles that make sense to only feature them. Batman won't always want to or need to work with someone else to take down people for example.

Not only that but this helps set DC's films apart from Marvel and helps them avoid that "Me too!" feel with how they intend to construct their connected cinematic universe. We know these films are coming, but I think the when is much further out than 2016 at this point. Warner Bros. wants to see how well Batman v Superman as well as Justice League does before they go all out on this.

Surprising absolutely no one, Ryan Reynolds will not return to the role of Green Lantern.

Hmm, so there is still a chance for Nathan Fillion to become Green Lantern? Unless they're going with a black GL so that Cyborg isn't the token black guy. I'm not sure about teaming him up with Flash though but I suppose they don't want to risk a solo Flash movie.

I'm not a DC guy, but something that bothered me about The Flash - in a trailer for the TV series, we see him moving at super fast speed and catching someone that had been knocked into the air by a car, I think. Cool. Except, physics! Force being mass multiplied by acceleration, and Flash has his foot on the gas in order to knock people out of harm's way. Is it explained in the comics how it is that he he able to run faster than a speeding bullet in order to knock a person out of the path of the bullet? Because to do so, he has to be moving significantly faster than the bullet, with mass far exceeding that of the projectile, so shouldn't any impact that he have hit with force exceeding that of the bullet/missile/explosion whatever it is that he's knocking them out of the path of?

Power like his, and Superman, shatter my suspension of disbelief. They're always as fast, or as slow, as they need to be for the plot. The instances I've seen of them using/not using their super speed always struck me as contrived, so I have always been curious to see how they would film a guy like Flash that literally moves faster than the blink of an eye. I saw an episode of Justice Leave (Unlimited, I think) where he came upon a locked door, and simply vibrated so quickly that he phased right through it. I'm sorry, but how the hell are you supposed to have a villain that can stand up to that? If this does pan out, I'd like to see how he is filmed, and what contrivances, if any, they come up with to slow him down.

Surprising absolutely no one, Ryan Reynolds will not return to the role of Green Lantern.

Hmm, so there is still a chance for Nathan Fillion to become Green Lantern? Unless they're going with a black GL so that Cyborg isn't the token black guy. I'm not sure about teaming him up with Flash though but I suppose they don't want to risk a solo Flash movie.

And Shazam? Really? He's like a discount Superman.

I get the feeling people would prefer to see an anti-hero Black Adam movie before a Captain Marvel movie.

Surprising absolutely no one, Ryan Reynolds will not return to the role of Green Lantern.

Hmm, so there is still a chance for Nathan Fillion to become Green Lantern? Unless they're going with a black GL so that Cyborg isn't the token black guy. I'm not sure about teaming him up with Flash though but I suppose they don't want to risk a solo Flash movie.

And Shazam? Really? He's like a discount Superman.

I highly doubt we'll see a white Green Lantern. Marvel has been called out for having a white washed lineup and this would be another way DC could "one up" Marvel in that regard. Plus Jon Stewart is just a bad ass so there's that bonus too.

As for Captain Marvel there's actually a fair amount that can be done with the character considering he's just a kid and has the best secret identity ever. A good script can play with the idea of having him look up the other heroes in this world like Superman and then when he joins their ranks realizes that they might not be as perfect as he thought. Not to mention the whole concept of putting that kind of powers in the hands of a child and all the responsibilities and consequences that come with it. There's a fair amount to explore here and it goes well beyond just being a discount Superman.

Keji Goto:As for Captain Marvel there's actually a fair amount that can be done with the character considering he's just a kid and has the best secret identity ever. A good script can play with the idea of having him look up the other heroes in this world like Superman and then when he joins their ranks realizes that they might not be as perfect as he thought. Not to mention the whole concept of putting that kind of powers in the hands of a child and all the responsibilities and consequences that come with it. There's a fair amount to explore here and it goes well beyond just being a discount Superman.

Did you see Man of Steel? I think you're looking for a level of complexity and character development that we have no reason to expect is going to exist.

tdylan:I'm not a DC guy, but something that bothered me about The Flash - in a trailer for the TV series, we see him moving at super fast speed and catching someone that had been knocked into the air by a car, I think. Cool. Except, physics! Force being mass multiplied by acceleration, and Flash has his foot on the gas in order to knock people out of harm's way. Is it explained in the comics how it is that he he able to run faster than a speeding bullet in order to knock a person out of the path of the bullet? Because to do so, he has to be moving significantly faster than the bullet, with mass far exceeding that of the projectile, so shouldn't any impact that he have hit with force exceeding that of the bullet/missile/explosion whatever it is that he's knocking them out of the path of?

I think the comics would give you a technical explanation using the word 'molecules' about five times and trying to detail exactly what the Speed Force (no, I don't mean kinetic energy or anything like that, the Speed Force is an actual thing that exists in the DCU) is and does. Mind you, my experience of Flash comes from the Silver Age stuff my dad has so I'm probably not the best source of info.

Anyway, I call shenanigans on the list. Why list Sandman up there? I know his movie is technically in production but is it really going to be part of a DC Movie Universe? I know Morpheus does occasionally deal with DC superheroes but he's always been tangentially related to the rest of the DC stable at best. Mind you, I suppose he does pal around with John Constantine in the first volume, maybe they want to link it in with the TV show he's getting

I would love this release schedule to be true since I prefer the idea of two character team up films to group films. Purely for the reason that I felt the Avengers relied on pre-established characters instead of developing them further. Ironman got some character development but that was about it and it was pretty simplistic. At the same time if this happens then it will be the biggest surprise since Warner Bros have been making these films a lot slower than Disney has with Marvel. I suppose the reason the newest film is taking so long could be because they are filming a bunch of movies at the same time. I wonder who they have to direct the others though, Zack Schneider can't do everything.

As long as David Goyer doesn't write ALL the stories, this could be good. But after MoS... I am skeptical, but I cannot, in good conscience, miss the first time Batman and Superman will be on the same screen at the same time.

Keji Goto:As for Captain Marvel there's actually a fair amount that can be done with the character considering he's just a kid and has the best secret identity ever. A good script can play with the idea of having him look up the other heroes in this world like Superman and then when he joins their ranks realizes that they might not be as perfect as he thought. Not to mention the whole concept of putting that kind of powers in the hands of a child and all the responsibilities and consequences that come with it. There's a fair amount to explore here and it goes well beyond just being a discount Superman.

Did you see Man of Steel? I think you're looking for a level of complexity and character development that we have no reason to expect is going to exist.

Saw it and actually like it. However I'm not in the camp that Superman has to be perfect and have this strong moral code right out the gate. I'm looking at this as giving reason for why he becomes the Superman most were expecting and prefer. It's pretty obvious that his character development is going to happen over the course of several films and throwing Batman into the mix with Dawn of Justice I think is going to be one way to really bring out the strong morals Superman is known for.

Does that mean Man of Steel was perfect? Of course not, the film had its problems just like any other film but I'm not going to let those short comings pull down what was over all a really great experience.

Besides not all of these films will have the same writers behind it nor will they have the same director unless Warner Bros is fine with only releasing a film every two years and continuing along at a snail's pace.

Wait, they're making a Shazam/Captain Marvel stand-alone but he's not in the main JLA roster while at least 3 previously unseen "new" cinematic versions of secondary characters debut there? That makes no sense.

CriticalMiss:Hmm, so there is still a chance for Nathan Fillion to become Green Lantern? Unless they're going with a black GL so that Cyborg isn't the token black guy. I'm not sure about teaming him up with Flash though but I suppose they don't want to risk a solo Flash movie.

And Shazam? Really? He's like a discount Superman.

Last I heard, Nathan Fillion was on tap for Marvel... (might even have a cameo in GotG, but that's is not confirmed at all.)No matter what his interest is however, he has made it plain that his time commitment to Castle (on the same network as MAoS one might note) prevents him from taking an active role in film making right now.

Teaming Green Lantern & Flash in a film could be the most singularly interesting thing they could do... Those two characters have teamed up numerous times, are considered best friends, and many times have been referred to as "The Brave & The Bold" despite the fact the title for that book (known primarily as a "team-up" book) only featured them together for a mini series once at the turn of the century. That title, however, IS where the JLA was first introduced... which interestingly happened AFTER the Suicide Squad's first appearance on the same title. It would be a hell of a cool nod to the legacy to CALL the film "Brave & Bold"... which is probably why it won't happen since DC seems to have no regard for that kind of thing anymore.

And Shazam? Not "discount Superman." "Magic Lightning Superman."He's a redundancy at best... and a miserably unlikable character in their latest comics of him.But if it is true, then he would take what was traditionally Martian Manhunter's place on the team (while Cyborg would replace Aquaman) and would seem valid given David Goyer's recent derogatory comments regarding fans of Martian Manhunter.

SeeDarkly_Xero:Last I heard, Nathan Fillion was on tap for Marvel... (might even have a cameo in GotG, but that's is not confirmed at all.)No matter what his interest is however, he has made it plain that his time commitment to Castle (on the same network as MAoS one might note) prevents him from taking an active role in film making right now.

Fair enough. I knew about the GotG possible cameo but does appearing in a Marvel flick actually have some contractual obligation to avoid 'the competition'? Obviously if he's too busy that's reason enough though.

And Shazam? Not "discount Superman." "Magic Lightning Superman."He's a redundancy at best... and a miserably unlikable character in their latest comics of him.But if it is true, then he would take what was traditionally Martian Manhunter's place on the team (while Cyborg would replace Aquaman) and would seem valid given David Goyer's recent derogatory comments regarding fans of Martian Manhunter.

-Make Mine Marvel

I forgot about poor Martian Manhunter. He could have been an interesting addition and further pushed DC/WB away from a whitewash (plus he could be the JLA's resident 'green one' and 'alien one' at the same time).

I almost lost it at the Man of Steel 2 movie release... I don't know why... *shrugs*

But, other than that, 3 movies a year starting from 2016? Damn, is DC/WB trying to not make us forget about each movie after they come out or something? At least their "planned" months are consistent, I guess...

Man, I have been wanting a Captain Marvel movie forever. But what scares me about it is that they are clearly being influenced by the new 52, and I absolutely HATE what they did to Captain Marvel/Billy Batson. They turned Billy into a miserable, unlikable little prick. I don't want that. I understand they don't want to go with a super optimistic Billy, but don't make him a cynical little jerkoff.

If this list is true, expect A LOT of information than just the announcement of these movies at comic-con. I mean, Shazam will be released two months after Dawn of Justice? That means they've been planning this for a while. I hope.

SeeDarkly_Xero:Last I heard, Nathan Fillion was on tap for Marvel... (might even have a cameo in GotG, but that's is not confirmed at all.)No matter what his interest is however, he has made it plain that his time commitment to Castle (on the same network as MAoS one might note) prevents him from taking an active role in film making right now.

Fair enough. I knew about the GotG possible cameo but does appearing in a Marvel flick actually have some contractual obligation to avoid 'the competition'? Obviously if he's too busy that's reason enough though.

Yeah, beyond question you will not likely see any actor from one franchise in another franchises films at this point, and yes I would expect that is built into their contracts now. (Had the X-men franchise been smarter about that early on, it is possible we might have gotten a marginally better Green Lantern... But if Fox had that sense, we also would not have gotten the tremendous Captain America we have. Mixed bag there.)

I find it kinda funny though, how I'm yet to see one good movie coming from WB's DC "Universe" aside from the Nolan's Batman trilogy, it just gives me even more of a feel that someone up there said "WE GOTTA BEAT MAHVEL GUYS".

Although I hold no interest towards the DC characters aside from Batman, but still.

This is clearly based on the new 52, which Cyborg is one of the founding members. Aquaman is also a big part of this universe, so it would be stupid for them to exclude him.

So was the Justice League: War animated film (having been "based" on the first 6 issues of the New 52 JL) and they excluded Aquaman from that (despite many of the action scenes happening over water) AND did a mid credit tease for what might be a Throne of Atlantis adaptation... Never underestimate DC's propensity to "be stupid."

Shazam? It seems a bit weird that they would do a Shazam film, and then not include him in the Justice League movie. For that reason alone, I don't really trust this source, because DC must be pretty stupid to do this... then again, I wouldn't put it past them at this point.